Illegal Immigration is a Matter of Public Safety and Homeland Security

The United States has always prided itself on being a “Free Country.” In fact, it is the very foundation that the U.S. was formed upon. When stopping to see the big picture, one has to understand that unless we are of one hundred percent Native American heritage, we are all descendants of immigrants. So why has immigration and border control become such a large issue in the U.S. today?
As an American, I am proud of our heritage, and I am proud of what the original ideas of our founders stood for. They stood for freedom, democracy, and the right to live without government oppression. This is what our soldiers fight every day to protect and what we as Americans cherish about living on this land we call home. The fact that if I choose to be an astronaut, all I have to do is put forth the effort. Or, if I choose to open a small business, all I have to do is open it. The end result of our lives is directly affected by the energy I put into it. What I choose to do with life is not already decided for me by government or family history.

Have some given up fighting illegal immigration?

These days, it is difficult for the average American to understand just what constitutes being an “illegal alien”. In fact, there are states in the U.S. that even grant a driver’s license to undocumented individuals. In 2003 California Governor Gray Davis even signed a bill that would have given these individuals the “RIGHT” to obtain a drivers license, and auto insurance. Arguments in favor of this bill claim that it would make our streets and roads safer by having more licensed and insured drivers. Those against argued the obvious. Why give someone a driver’s license if they are not supposed to be here to begin with?

It seems to me that by giving a driver’s license to those individuals in the U.S. illegally, it is more like saying “Since we cannot enforce the laws, let’s just try and make them safe drivers.” Isn’t that the same as just giving up? Have we really gotten to a point that our laws have gotten so complicated that they cannot be enforced, and the only reasonable thing left to do is to co-exist instead of enforcing the laws that were designed to prevent this? Obviously, the fight against illegal immigration is about a great deal more than just driver’s licenses, but it is just one example of how skewed many laws have become in fighting it.

Why should we be so stern on border security?

For years, we have been fighting against terrorism. Long before the attacks on 9-11-01, we were dealing with terrorist attacks in our homeland. In fact, the World Trade Center has been the focus of terrorist attacks in the past. The reason for these attacks has never been over oil, money, religion, or even land. The reason is because of hatred by others over our freedom. The very freedom we cherish most about our country. Stronger border security may have easily prevented many of the attacks within the U.S., but the flaws in our system continue to allow this to be a very real possibility. The irony of the 9-11-01 attacks on the World trade center is that our own flawed immigration system allowed these terrorist to live in our country. We even trained them how to fly the very planes they used in the attacks!

Each and every day, our country’s law enforcement agents fight crime and risk their lives to protect citizens. In fact, crime has seen a significant decline in almost every area, except illegal drug sales, possession, and usage. Some may argue that drug use would exist no matter where it came from, and they would probably be correct. However, our country’s law makers should be ashamed of the fact that the vast majority of illegal drugs bought and sold in the U.S. came across the borders we should be protecting. I find that it is an absolute travesty that while encouraging our law enforcement officers to risk their lives on a daily basis to find and arrest those involved in illegal drug trade that we put so little emphasis on preventing it from coming across the border in the first place.

Recently, the President of the United States allowed 3000 American troops to be placed along our southern border. Let’s put this into prospective. The city of New York employs over 34,000 police officers. The city of Phoenix, Arizona employs more than 3500 officers. I think it tells a bit about how much emphasis our government has placed upon border security, and stopping illegal drugs from entering the country.

Some of the latest jobless rates estimate that nearly ten percent of Americans are unemployed. Obviously recent financial problems within the structure of U.S. corporate have a great deal to do with those numbers, but there is also another large contributing problem. According to the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), more than 35 percent of America’s farming and custodial building maintenance industry is made up of illegal immigrants. Also, almost thirty percent of America’s construction workers are in the country illegally. We have to ask: If almost ten percent of our nation is unemployed, why are we continuing to allow large numbers in some of our core workforce areas to be consumed by people that are not even suppose to be in the country?

Some will argue that the employers of these people should be held accountable, and they would be correct to argue that point, to a degree. However, we also have to realize that it is because of our flawed immigration laws that it is allowed. In some states, it is completely legal for illegal aliens to be employed! It seems like a sort of paradox that we claim that they are here illegally, but it is illegal for us to prevent them from taking American jobs. Recently, the town of Fremont, Nebraska passed a law to prevent the hiring of illegal immigrants by businesses and the renting of housing to them by landlords. Would you believe that Nebraska is now coming under fire and the law is being contested by such people as the Civil Liberties Union? It seems that by stopping illegal immigrants from illegally prospering, we are somehow violating their civil rights. I do not claim to be a genius by any means, but doesn’t the Bill of Rights grant those rights to legal citizens of the U.S., or is this yet another part of the law that is now so far blurred that we can no longer enforce it? It raises the question: If you are not a legal citizen of the U.S., are you still protected by the same Bill of Rights written by Americans, for Americans?

How do we stop this madness?

Recently, the state of Arizona took a huge stance on illegal immigration. I will not agree or disagree with SB 1070, but I will say that I applaud the state for at least putting up a fight. I do think that it is the responsibility of the Federal government to create and enforce these types of laws, but the fact that they have not, leaves little else for a state like Arizona to do, except fight it themselves. I feel that at some point, the U.S. has to take a strong stance and put a stop to all of this. The fact that the country is being terrorized, jobs are being taken, and legal citizens of the country are paying the high price is nothing less than an outrage.

America needs to be tougher on illegal immigration. Obviously, we cannot stop all illegal aliens from entering the country. That would require a soldier at every square inch of the entire U.S. border. But, what we can do is make it simply not worth it for people to try and live and prosper in our country. We can do this by putting a stop to the laws that protect them from being rejected for employment, housing, and anything gainful, until they have provided legal documentation that permits them to live and work here. Do we give them a driver’s license to help keep our roads safe? NO! What we should be doing is arresting them at the DMV when they try! When a person is pulled over or arrested on our streets, they should be required that they provide documentation of U.S. citizenship.

One major reason for the rejection of the SB 1070 law of Arizona is the fear of racial profiling. I do agree that this law would be very difficult to enforce, without a certain degree of profiling, and to deny it we would just be kidding ourselves. However, there is a way to enforce such a law that is not bordering on discrimination. Force every American to always carry ID that proves their legal status. It could be a driver’s license, or even a simple ID card. Now, some will argue that an ID such as this can be easily forged. I say that notion is crazy, and with the technology we have in the U.S. today, it can be done.

Ever notice the black strip on the back of new driver’s licenses that is similar to that of a credit card? Why is that not being used by law enforcement? I was recently pulled over on an interstate for speeding, and yes I was guilty and I paid the price. But, while I was sitting there, the officer simply ran my driver license number, but never scanned the card. Perhaps he did not have the technology to scan it, but that is not the point. If an officer had this technology, and was require to use it with every single interaction, it could be used to detect whether or not a subject was a legal U.S. citizen. It would be a tool that could make a huge difference in the number of people that are undocumented and illegal in the country.

Protect our liberty
The U.S. was founded on a basis of liberty and the right to prosperity. It is this notion that attracts illegal immigrants to live in our country, and the same notion that attracts terrorist to try to destroy our country. It is not only our right to protect our freedom, but it is also our responsibility. We have a responsibility to help preserve this great nation for our children and grandchildren.

The United States of America began as immigrants, and will forever be “A country of immigrants”. However, it has to be a country of legal immigrants, and one that does not give asylum to those who wish to do harm to it. We have to find a way to enforce strict immigration standards, while continuing to grant freedom and liberty to those who live here as legal citizens.

It is the duty of our Federal government to provide the means for Americans to protect what is sacred in our lives. Laws preventing illegal immigration need to be solid, and not the transparent laws that allow them to be left to a matter of interpretation. Tying the hands of our law enforcement, yet asking them to die in the line of duty protecting our borders is simply unfair and unjust.

I firmly believe that the party lines of our country’s law makers take a front seat when it comes to creating and enforcing laws on immigration. We elect our politicians on the basis of ideas and beliefs, and by what our country needs, yet it seems that when the time comes, it is a party line that makes the deciding vote. Democracy is a wonderful thing, but when abused by the strict division of parties in the face of what is actually good for the nation, democracy will fail.

It’s my right to write

I am but an average person in the U.S. I am not a politician, nor a scholar, but I am one thing for certain: I am an American. By being an American, I have the right to express my opinion and I have the right to protect my liberty and freedom. I do not have the right to break the law, and I do not have the right to impose on the rights of another American. Because I am an American, I have the right to say this: If you want to live, raise a family and prosper in this country, become an American or get the hell out!

By James C.

3 comments on “Illegal Immigration is a Matter of Public Safety and Homeland Security”

admin, I applaud your courage in opening a discussion on this hot topic since you risk blowback from LaRaza, the SEIU, and other such groups who stridently (and shrilly) seek to force their agenda upon everyone else when it comes to the subject of illegal immigration.

I’m just an American who happens to live in Arizona and I too have some thoughts to share on this subject. Beyond the risk of hostile entities crossing into our country to spy, form sleeper cells, or do actual harm – besides the jobs illegals fill (that are therefore unavailable to unemployed citizens), illegal immigration puts an unsustainable economic burden on ALL of our already cash strapped states and on ALL taxpaying citizens.

Numerous border state hospitals have closed down emergency departments, cut back on services needed by the communities they serve, or closed down entirely due to the economic strain placed on them by massive numbers of uninsured illegals who come in for medical care but fail to pay for the care they receive. Additionally, the Federal Government does NOT fully reimburse health care providers for the costs of such services so the hospital or provider take a hit to the bottom line that eventually becomes unsustainable. That seriously harms our communities.

Taxpayers in cities, towns, and states having a significant number of illegal aliens are forced to pay higher taxes (and get nothing for them) due to paying for education, meal subsidy, housing subsidies, food stamps and other taxpayer supported social programs. When US taxpayers, states, and all other government entities are already cash strapped it is unsustainable to expect the American people to continue to pay the bill for an unlimited number of freeloaders each year- and contrary to some opinions put forth, most illegals work for cash & do NOT pay into the tax system. NONE file income tax returns.

Arizona’s SB-1070. First, it should be mentioned that a 3 year test was conducted by Arizona law enforcement officers of ALL the provisions eventally written into SB 1070 BEFORE it was enacted by the state legislature. No problems or complains ensured during the entire 3 year test perios. NONE. Not a one, Nada. Not even from LaRaza.

SB-1070 was written in compliance with existing Federal immigration laws and includes string guidelines prohibiting profiling of any type. In fact, the Justice Dept’s ill-conceived suit against Arizona says nothing about “profiling” concerns, but rather alleges that Arizona, or any state for that matter, would be usurping Federal Immigration perrogatives by seeking to do anything itself to enforce immigration laws.

(If the Justice Dept. wins the suit does that mean that states should not do anything to enforce other Federal laws such as anti-drug laws as well then since doing so would be exactly like Arizona trying to enforce immigration laws!)

Gunshots have come from across the Texas border from Mexico into the U.S. courthouse building in ElPaso, Arizona has signs put up by the Fed. Govt warning citizens to stay OUT of Wildlife preserves and parks 80 miles inland because of danger from Mexican drug smugglers, gangs etc… our border patrol agents have been confronted by Mexican military vehicles carrying soldiers armed with RPG’s and machine guns, Pinal County sheriff deputies have been ambushed, ranches have been terrorized, and in some cases ranchers killed by illegals, they carry tons of illegal drugs into the country each day, and use numerous houses as far inland as Maricopa county as drop houses for drugs and immigrants – who they then force the families to pay ransom for.

Trails, gulleys, wshes, and parks illegals trek through are ecological disasters as they litter them awfully as they pass through.

Once here, plenty are good people, but many of those are forced to work in almost slave-like conditions to survive. Day laborers cluster on corners of strip malls to vancant lots waiting for strangers to offer them cash paying labor jobs each day.

Kidnappings in Maricopa county are second only to Mexico City now – and it’s Mexican nationals against Mexican for the most part. Car theft is at an all time high.

And all the AZ law seeks to do is ask for a driver’s license when someone is stopped, or their green card, or Visa- things we all carry, should carry when we drive at least, and inthe case of legal immigrants things they are supposed to carry BY FEDERAL LAW anyway.

Oh yeah, Obama is “sending National Guard to the border” – sure. Out of the 1200 or whatever he promised for ALL border states, AZ is supposed to get 500 – by October 2010 – maybe. Those 500, if they arrive, won’t be doing ANY border enforcement, but rather will be manning desks far far away from the border. Lots of help there for sure!

All I know is that any state or country that cannot secure its own border will never be a safe place for it’s citizens.

But let’s face it, enforcing immigration law, building the promised fence, or beefing up the border patrol wouldn’t fit the Democrat’s agenda since they WANT to encourage illegal immigration – then provide amnesty (again) in order to grow their voter base and secure their power.

Thank you for your comment Sara. You bring up some very interesting points that I was not even aware of.

Also, your point about illegal immigrants working for cash, and not paying taxes, is well taken. We hear all the time about how the number of illegal aliens in the country could not make a significant impact upon the general workforce population, yet those same people fail to take all things into consideration.

Those people should think of these few things:

1. Most times they work for much less money, thus taking these jobs away from legal Americans.

2. because they do not pay taxes, the reduced pay rate they accept makes very little impact in comparison to our own. Example: If I make $10 per hour, but pay the average 35% tax rate on that pay, I am actually only bringing home $6.50 per hour. Whereas, an illegal can come and offer their services at $7.00 per hour, freeing the employer of a tax burden, and also stealing valuable jobs from Americans.

3. Because they are illegal, they cannot be held financially responsible for anything at all really. I mean, if they get hurt on the job, we have to pay the bill. They do not qualify for health insurance, they have most likely provided false identity information, and cannot be legally billed by the hospital. We end up paying this bill.

I still fail to see how any reasonable American citizen can defend the right for anyone to be in this country illegally. The way I see it, they broke the law on the very first day they entered, so what makes any reasonable person think they will abide by them while they are here (ILLEGALLY).

Yes, many work for less money which puts downward pressure on American wages (it’s called Wage Arbitration). But bear in mind that employers could pay the same $10/hr you might get paid, for example, and still save a significant amount of money because the employer won’t be socked with the matching 7.5% social security tax, or the other employer paid portion he’d have to pay if his employee was legal.

That can amount to a large amount of money saved per worker per year! So you see how illegal immigration benefits those businesses that hire them – and sad to say, employers rarely get in trouble for using illegals.

So, as you see, folks who want the border secured and want the immigration laws enforced aren’t “racists” – in fact, the majority of Hispanics in Arizona are in favor of SB-1070 as well. We don’t want to do anything more than to protect the well being of our communities and citizens.

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